8 - Blur images

Chapter 8 – Blur images

Si Liujing frowned as he listened to them and at the same time, he felt it was very funny.

Are these two people so unconcerned about taboos when they talk?

This Old Man Zhao seemed to be a very straightforward person.

“Elder, when will I be able to see?” He asked.

“Why are you so anxious? Eyes are at the end of the nerves. After the poison in the other parts of your body has been purged, then only you will regain your sight. I guess it will take another twenty days.”

Si Liujing estimated that almost ten days had passed since the day he was injured. He has been missing for the past ten days and his Emperor Father must be searching everywhere for him. During this time, he also intends to temporarily hide for fear that the traitor may discover he is injured and blinded and seize this opportunity to finish him off. Besides, the poison in his body is still not resolved and he did not want to create more complications, so he would just make use of this time to recuperate and plan.

“If this Elder cures me, a big reward will certainly be offered as gratitude.”

“Humph! Who wants your money?! If money is desired, this old man could have opened a medical clinic to treat patients! If it’s not for Girl, I won’t even come!”

Si Liujing’s face sank with the old man’s show of an unappreciative attitude.

Bai Yuxiao understood that he is a prince after all and he possesses the arrogance of royalty, and besides, she did not tell Old Man Zhao about Si Liujing’s true identity. Therefore, she immediately stepped forward to mediate.

“Old Man Zhao, look at what you’re saying. It doesn’t sound like words spoken by a human. No wonder you can’t mix in Jianghu and retreated to hide in the forest.” Then she turned her head around to look at Si Liujing and said. “He probably forgot to take his medicine today. Let’s ignore him and leave him to go crazy.”

From her words, Old Man Zhao could deduce she was protective of this handsome man. He looked at Si Liujing and then looked at Shui’er and said bluntly. “Girl, this man has an extraordinary bearing and is not an ordinary man. According to this old man, his background is not simple, and he is also not an easy master to serve. Girl, if you follow him, you will definitely suffer.”

Old Man Zhao’s outspoken words made Si Liujing’s expression even more serious.

As soon as Bai Yuxiao noticed the situation had turned unfavorable, she hurriedly said. “What do you know? Gongzi* treats me very well so Shui’er is willing to follow and I’m not afraid of hardship.”

(In ancient times, young men and sons of noble families are referred to as Gongzi. This is a formal way of greeting and it means either ‘gentleman’ or ‘sir’. Shui’er is referring to the Wangye as Gongzi because she wants to keep his identity a secret.)

After listening to her, Si Liujing’s expression improved and he felt more at ease in his heart. He felt his hand being held by her and she was using her finger to draw circles in his palm seemingly to pacify and comfort him.

In fact, he is not a petty man and although the old man showed him disrespect, it did not anger him. When he said he would give a big reward to the old man, it was nothing more than trying to buy the other party so that his whereabouts would not be revealed. When he realized that the old man and Shui’er had such a good relationship, it seemed he should not have to worry.

Old Man Zhao continued to curse and scold but Si Liujing gave face to Shui’er and pretended to be deaf.

After Old Man Zhao had finished treating Si Liujing, he wrote out a prescription, and then Bai Yuxiao sent the old man out. When she returned to the house, she explained to Si Liujing.

“Old Man Zhao has a weird temper but his medical skills are indeed good and his lips are sealed. Don’t worry, he won’t reveal Wangye ’s whereabouts.”

Si Liujing nodded and did not say anything. He was thinking that since Old Man Zhao could see he came from an extraordinary background, naturally, this Shui’er is also able to see. He became more convinced that she offered herself to him because she wanted riches and honor. After all, which woman in this world does not desire to marry a rich and powerful husband?

After about twenty days passed, Si Liujing’s injuries gradually recovered and his originally sightless eyes also gradually improved with blurry images which made him very happy. At the same time, Bai Yuxiao also noticed that his eyes were starting to focus.

“Can Wangye see Shui’er?”

Si Liujing shook his head. “Only blurred images.”

“This is good news. I believe Wangye will be able to see in a couple of days.”

Because of the improvement in his eyes, Si Liujing was in a very good mood. He hugged Shui’er and stared at her but unfortunately, he could only see blurry images and was unable to see her facial features clearly.

He stroked her cheek with his big hand and said in a low voice. “After my eyesight is restored, I want to take a good look and see how Shui’er looks like.”

After listening to him, Bai Yuxiao felt happy and smiled bitterly. She must not let him see her, otherwise, how is she going to continue staying in the royal mansion in the future?

“Shui’er’s looks are mediocre. I’m afraid Wangye will be disappointed after taking a look.”

Si Liujing raised his eyebrows and his lips curved slightly. “It’s alright. Shui’er is good to me and I cherish it.”

“Shui’er is thankful for Wangye ’s deep love.”

However, Bai Yuxiao understood that Si Liujing’s so-called ‘cherish’ was at the best to accept her as a concubine. Thus she did not harbor any excessive hope and in her heart, she was already calculating that Si Liujing’s eyesight should be restored within the next few days, so she must make preparations to leave.

Thinking of this, her lively eyes were inevitably filled with sadness. The days during this month passed like a dream. Although it was a life devoid of luxuries and lacking a magnificent residence, they lived together like an ordinary couple, sleeping in the same bed every night and the days were filled with happiness. But all these finally would come to an end and he would be taken back to the royal mansion where he would be the high and mighty Wangye again while she would revert to just a little concubine in the inner courtyards.

Bai Yuxiao hastily shook her head. What is she thinking? She had already gained since she had this month of happiness and he is safe. Moreover, the mighty Ling Wang was tied to a bed and ravaged by her.

Which other women can do this?

Thinking about this, she could not help but feel happy again.

***☆☆☆***

Early in the morning of this day, Bai Yuxiao waited on him while he washed his face and rinsed his mouth. Then she helped him to comb his hair and dressed him and also prepared breakfast for him as usual.

After waiting for him to finish his breakfast, she said she had to go to the kitchen to check whether the medicine is ready and then she walked out of the room.

Si Liujing remained in the room to meditate and after about half a sichen* , he felt thirsty. When he touched the teapot on the table, he found it to be empty and he called out to Shui’er. However, after calling for a long time, there was still no response.

(Sichen is a measurement of time and one sichen is equals to two hours.)

Suddenly, he noticed something amiss. Normally, even if Shui’er was busy outside the house she would come back to check on him and talk to him from time to time but today, she did not. He listened carefully again. In the past, he could hear sounds coming from the kitchen while he is in the room but at this moment, he could not hear any sound.

Si Liujing’s face sank. Immediately, he grabbed the handle of his sword and pulled it out. He listened cautiously and as expected, someone had silently arrived at the door. As soon as he heard the person entering the house, he slashed at the other person without a thought. Only the crashing sounds of soldiers and swords were heard and the other party hurriedly retreated a distance away.

“ Wangye !”

Suddenly, Si Liujing was startled. This voice is…….Fu Teng?

Without waiting for him to reply, the other party immediately said. “ Wangye, your subordinate Fu Teng came too late to save Wangye ! This subordinate deserves to die!”

Following that, the other voices also drifted over.

“It’s great that Wangye is fine!”

“This subordinate had despatched people to search for Wangye for a month. Finally, we received news of Wangye and hurried over. Wangye had suffered a shock.”

From the blurred images, Si Liujing could see about six people in front of him and they were all kneeling to him. He breathed a sigh of relief and gestured with his hand naturally exuding his royal aura.

“Get up.”

“Thank you, Wangye .” The six people got up and stood upright.

Fu Teng is Si Liujing’s personal guard who was left behind in the royal mansion and Fu Teng is also his confidant.

He reported to the Wangye that as soon as they learned about the attack on Wangye , they immediately informed His Highness, the Sixth Prince. Then His Highness, the Sixth Prince brought Fu Teng to seek an audience with the Emperor, and thereafter, soldiers and horses were mobilized to search for Wangye . In the end, they searched for a month.

“When we went out to search for Wangye and found all the guards that Wangye brought out of the Imperial City were killed in the attack, it caused us great anxiety. Now that Wangye is safe, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”

When Si Liujing heard, his face sank. “All dead?”

“Yes.”

Speaking up to here, Fu Teng and the others became silent. Those guards were their brothers and good friends. Everyone worked together as guards in the royal mansion, practiced martial arts together and they shared a good relationship. Now they are separated by death and they inevitably feel sad.

“Fortunately, we received news of Wangye and we were able to follow the lead to find our way here.” When Fu Ten said this, Si Liujing was surprised.

“News? Who sent news to you?”

It is a secret that he is staying here and he did not send out any news. On hearing this, he could not help but feel surprised and was worried that this may be a trap.

“Early this morning, someone sent a letter to the post station for Fu Teng and instructed that the letter be handed to His Highness, the Sixth Prince. The letter came together with the jade pendant that Wangye always wear around the waist. His Highness, the Sixth Prince recognized it and immediately sent us to look for Wangye . The mountain road here is difficult to navigate and this place is well hidden. Without directions, this place is really difficult to find.”

(In the olden days, a post station is a place for people to pass official documents, take a rest and change horses. Some larger stations would even have guesthouses for longer stays. )

Si Liujing immediately stretched out his hand. “Let Benwang have a look at the jade pendant.”